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AMBROSE e. FELL, or NEW UNITED. Srrurns PATENT Futon.

.IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING ARTlFlClAL LEATHER FROMWOOLEN OR VEGETABLE FABRIC.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. [87,611, dated February20, 1877; application filled July 10,1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, AMBROSE G. FELL, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in ArtificialLeather; and that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement in artificial leather;and the invention consists in the production ofartificial leather fromtextile fabrics, felt, or paper, by treating such material with water,gelatinous matter, glycerine, protosalts, sulphuric acid, and nitricacid, in the manner hereinafter specified.

To produce my leather, I take for a foundation any suitable textilefabric, felt, or paper, and treat it,with a compound consisting of thefollowing elements, viz: Water, three (3) parts, by'weight; glue, one(1) part, by weight; glycerine, forty (40) per cent. of the glue. Amixture of protosulphate of iron, nitric and sulphuric acids is alsoadded in such proportion as to allow the salt of iron therein containedto represent about five (5) per cent. of the glue.

The relative proportions of the sulphate of iron, nitric acid, andsulphuric acid are such as to convert the protosalt into a persaltofiron, for the reasons hereinafter set forth, and no excess of acidmust be used for this purpose. The proportions to be used are: Sixteenparts protosulphate of iron sixteen parts of water; three parts ofsulphuric acid; four parts of nitric acid-amount of a nitrate capable ofyielding its acid.

The manner of proceeding is as follows:

7 The glue is allowed to soak in its proportion of water until entirelysoftened. The glycerine is next added, and the mixture heated untilentirely dissolved. Then add sufficient of the above iron compound toequal five (5) per cent. of the glue. When well mixed any desiredcoloring-matter is added to produce the desired tint.

The mixture is then ready for use, and may be applied either directly tothe surface of the textile fabric, felt, or paper; or it may be coatedon another surface. and transferred to the desired backing material bypasting or cementing the same to the coating, and then removing bothtogether.

I do not wish to confine myself to the use of glue in theabove-described compound; but any form of gelatine may be employed.Neither do I confine myself to any of the above-mentioned proportions,for they must of necessity be varied to suit different purposes.

It is evident from the above that the described mixture of sulphate ofiron and sulphuric and nitric acids is employed to produce apersulphate, and the reason a persalt is not at first used is, that thepersalt acts immediately on the gelatine, rendering it insoluble, and itis therefore impossible to ap ply it in the manner stated; but by usingthe described mixture the persalt is gradually produced by chemicalinterchange of elements, thus allowing ample time for the utilization ofthe compound before its precipitation by theaction of the iron salt.

It is obvious that any other preparation capable of yielding a persaltof iron would answer the purpose equally well, providing its action issufficiently slow to admit of using the gelatine before itsprecipitation. The maximum insolubility and hardness of this artificialleather is not arrived at in less than two or more weeks.

The material produced by this process is very durable, pliable, andleathery, so much so that when grained it can hardly be told from realleather.

It may be made with its surface either plain or ornamental.

If it should be desired to hasten the toughening and insoluble featuresof the material, the same can be accomplished by heat; but said heatshould not exceed 350 Fahrenheit.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- The process of manufacturing artificialleather which consists in spreading upon the surface of animal orvegetable fabric a mixture of gelatinous matter, glycerine, water,protosulphate of iron, sulphuric and nitric acids, substantially asdescribed.

AMBROSE G. FELL.

Witnesses:

H. L. WATTENBEBG, G. M. PLYMPTON.

